Transform Your Body

Shed the Bear Belly

YOU MAY HAVE BEEN A BIT SLUGGISH (OR BEARISH) over the winter. After all, frigid weather is enough to make anyone want to hole up. But unlike grizzlies, men don't emerge slimmer come spring. Indeed, all that extra time spent indoors subsisting on beer and Xbox tends to pack a couple of pounds on a guy, says Mike Wunsch, C.S.C.S., a trainer at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. The kicker: Most of us never lose that weight. Here's your exit strategy for leaving the cave leaner.

1. Start slowly"Many men try to pick up where they left off and immediately start slinging around heavy weights," says Wunsch. The result: sore muscles, stressed joints, and a downward spiral of missed workouts.

Your move: If you were hibernating for most of the winter, begin with half the weight you lifted previously, and then increase your load by 10 percent a week, suggests Wunsch. This might sound tedious, but you'll see the benefits add up quickly; within 8 weeks you'll be stronger than you were before.

2. Plan aheadResearch shows that eight workouts a month is the minimum required to stick to a fitness plan, says Wunsch. And the more frequently you exercise, the better the odds are that your initial effort will turn into a healthy habit.

Your move: Mark off at least two workouts a week on your monthly calendar, and try to schedule your exercise time for the same hour each day. Hormonal adaptations cause your body to "remember" when you usually exercise, making you strongest at that time, according to Tunisian researchers.

Your move: Find a powder with at least 20 grams of protein and 4 or more grams of leucine (an amino acid that can boost muscle growth) per serving. In a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, leucine helped boost muscle gains by 33 percent. Try Nitrean+ by AtLarge Nutrition. $60, atlargenutrition.com

Latest Weight Loss Stories

Brian Boye was too good at his job. On the outside, everything looked sharp. As executive fashion director for Men's Health, he knew how to camouflage his excess pounds.“I wore sweaters and loose clothing”...

Even guys with the strongest resolves can occasionally cave to temptation when they're trying to lose weight. The next time you think about skipping the gym or eating (yet another) cookie that your coworker...

If you dread the tread, check out these six routines that will help you outrun boredom and get better results than ever. Turn Up Your Tempo Set the incline to 1 percent and warm up with 10 minutes of easy...

A medicine ball may not be a part of your workout—but it should be. "Training with med balls helps you build muscle, burn fat, and improve your athleticism,” says David Jack, owner of ActivPrayer in...

Cardio haters, rejoice. The 4-minute calorie-torching wonder known as the Tabata protocol lives up to the hype, according to an Auburn University study.Participants performed eight 20-second rounds of...

Check out the abs on Andy Speer, winner of Men's Health Next Top Trainer and creator of the new fitness DVD The Anarchy Workout, in the photo above. He keeps his eight-pack chiseled with fast-paced core...

Trainers like to say that the most important part of any training program is consistency. If you don't hit the gym regularly, you'll never see results."But consistency can work both ways," says BJ Gaddour,...

Have a habit of eating unhealthy snacks? Blame your meddling mind: When choosing what to eat, your brain automatically factors taste into the decision before you consider whether it's good for you, finds...

You can't often accomplish a lot in less than 4 minutes. Maybe you can draft a quick email or stand in line for a cup of coffee. But how about revving your metabolism while testing three of the most important...

When I was a kid in the 1970s, eggs were condemned because they contained cholesterol. They were land mines studding the path to health. Eggs caused heart attacks and misery. But somehow I never got the...